Short Biography
Dr. Bacon's research deals with the impact of health behaviours and lifestyle (e.g., physical activity, diet, weight management, stress) on the development and progression of chronic diseases (e.g., obesity, cardiovascular disease, COVID-19). He utilises multiple methodologies including epidemiological, psychophysiological, evidence syntheses, and behavioural trials designs. Currently, Dr. Bacon is the FRQS co-Chair in Artificial Intelligence and Digitial Health for Health Behaviour Change and the CIHR SPOR Chair in Innovative, Patient-Oriented, Behavioural Clinical Trials. He is also a fellow of the Obesity Society, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, and the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research. In addition to Concordia, Dr. Bacon is co-director of the Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre (www.mbmc-cmcm.ca), a researcher at the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal (CIUSSS-NIM), and co-leads the International Behavioural Trials Network (www.IBTNetwork.org) and the CIHR funded Canadian Behavioural Interventions and Trials Network (www.CBITN.ca).
Education
PhD (University of Birmingham), MSc (De Montfort University), BSc (Hons, University of Warwick)
Research interests
- Behavioural (e.g., physical activity, weight management, stress management) interventions for chronic diseases prevention and treatment
- The epidemiological impact of health behaviours on chronic diseases
- The role of acute stress (psychophysiology) in the progression of chronic disease
- The impact of sex and gender on chronic diseases.
- Bariatric care and surgery
- Cardiovascular and respiratory diseases
- Patient-oriented, patient-participatory, and integrated knowledge translation
- Living and rapid evidence syntheses